The Life of Animals | Serval | The serval is a medium sized cat, measuring 59 to 92 centimetres (23 to 36 in.) in head-body length, with a Relatively short, 20 to 38 centimetres (7.9 to 15 in) tail, and a shoulder height of about 54 to 66 centimetres (21 to 26 in). It is a strong yet animal Slender, with long legs and a fairly short tail. Usually, the serval is boldly spotted black on Tawny, with two or four stripes from the top of the head down the neck and back, transitioning into spots. The "servaline" form has much Smaller, freckled spots, and was once thought to be separate species. The Backs of the ears are black with a distinctive white bar. In Addition, melanistic servals are quite common in some parts of the range, giving a similar appearance to the "black panther" (melanistic leopards).
White servals have never been documented in the wild and only four have been documented in captivity. The other three, all males, were the resource persons born at Wildlife on Easy Street in 1997 and 1999 Servals have The Longest legs of any cat, relative to Their body size. The toes are also elongated, and unusually mobile, Helping the animal to capture prey partially concealed. Another distinctive feature of the serval is the presence of large ears and auditory bullae in the skull, Indicating a particularly acute sense of hearing.
The serval needs watercourses within its territory, so it does not live in semi-deserts or dry Steppes. Servals also avoid dense equatorial jungles, although They may be found along forest fringes. Servals are Able to give birth to multiple litters throughout the year, but commonly only do so if the Earlier litters die shortly after birth. The kittens are born in dense vegetation, or Sheltered locations Such as abandoned aardvark Burrows. The kittens weigh around 250 grams (8.8 oz) at birth, and are initially blind and helpless, with a coat of greyish Woolly hair.
